Thai pumpkin shell soup

"...he had a wife and couldn't keep her. He put her in a pumpkin shell, and there he kept her very well." E: You wish! Really wouldn't that be the perfect place to contain an environmentalist?  Nothing like a pumpkin to make someone docile and demure. Look you could even send me off in a little pumpkin boat or we could visit a pumpkin weigh-in. To get you started, I hear many giant pumpkin producers will give away their seeds for free...

Thai pumpkin shell soup

• 2 eight inch medium pumpkins (or 6 bowl sized pumpkins to serve in bowl) $4
• Olive oil 3 Tbsp (not local)$0.25
• 2 large sprigs Thai basil (A beautiful purple kind of basil, that flavors Asian dishes distinctly. Just use regular basil if hard to find) (From garden) or $0.50  
• 2 tsp fresh or 1 tsp dried lemon grass (Great but optional) $0.25 
• 0.5 tsp cayenne $0.10 
• 3 Tbsp fresh or 1 TBSP dried cilantro  (From garden) or $0.50 
• 2 tsp cumin $0.20

•  3  cups of coconut milk (not local) $1.58
• 4 Vegetable broth (Homemade)
• 3 small sweet red peppers $1
• 1 c. green beans $0.75
• 1/2 lime (not local) $0.10

Crispy Tofu (not local)

• 1 box of tofu $1.32
• 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast $0.44
• 2 Tbsp flour $0.15
• 3 Tbsp Olive oil $0.25

 Total  $10.34 - $11.34
$1.72/ person

Cut pumpkin tops like you were making a jack-o-lantern and scoop out seeds and pulp. Dice the spices and saute in the oil in a small pan. Add the spices, broth, and coconut milk to the pumpkins. Dice the peppers and chop the green beans to about 1.5 inch pieces. Bake at 375 for 30 min.

During that time make small pieces of crispy tofu in a pan. Add the tofu to the soup and cook for 10 more min.